Tag: School

This new version of Math Classroom Challenge for Windows & Xbox One adds the Teddy Bear. He will fall from the sky in the Winter and Summer areas, and will give points to the player if water is thrown to him. But remember: you must finish the math before time ends!

We are happy to inform that the Christmas version of Math Classroom Challenge is now available on Windows 10 Store, Steam, and Xbox One. This version includes new solutions to some little issues, and the first appearance of Teddy Bear.

Teddy will appear in the snow area, falling down from the sky. If you throw water to him, he will give you additional points, and will celebrate Christmas with you.

Important: the version published 1.90 is now online. Version 1.91 will add:

Button to exit for Windows Store users. In version 1.90 you can leave with Alt+f4.

Having integrated Sam the Bird into Math Classroom Challenge, our next step is to introduce a new scenario, with an idea similar to that of the Moon.

If in this scenario we have to collect lunar material to be sent to Earth, along with helium 3, to power the Earth’s fusion reactors, in this new scenario we will have to do something extremely important: save the planet’s seas. How? We’ll see it in the next posts.

But one thing is clear: we want to send a message of hope and future to all of us, and to teach the new generations, and the old generations, that this world is unique, and belongs to all of us.

Saving it is our responsibility. We have a duty with the Earth. And here we can learn some aspects to ensure that the world remains that source of light and life that it has always been.

“Save the seas” is now work in progress, and we’ll inform about the release date soon. Thank you very much.

Sam is not a common bird. A high-level student, he chose architecture as his profession to build the most modern and sophisticated tree nests. But his passion is numbers. He can eat dozens of numbers in a day.

And he will eat the numbers you need to solve the mathematical panels proposed in Math Classroom Challenge. Don’t allow it. Don’t let him get away with this.

Sam is present by default in all the stages except the Moon stage. The player can deactivate Sam in the Config Panel. Sam will be eating numbers from time to time, and the player will lose the opportunity of adding the number he/she needs to complete the math panels. Because Sam is always searching the exact number the player needs to solve the math panels.

We hope this new feature can be of your interest. And we’re working with next version: “Save the seas”. More info soon. Thank you!

With this new hardware, the same build is compatible with a standard monitor, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. We give the opportunity to choose your option when you run the game, or you can activate SteamVR in your Steam app so you can access to the VR version of the game automatically.

But this is far from over. We’ll be adding a new character next week: Sam. Sam is a bird that likes to eat the numbers you need to solve the math problems.

And a new scenario that will arrive soon. And will be quite different from the others. Thank you!

We were talking the other day about an “almost enemy” for Math Classroom Challenge. This game is rated for children aged 4 onwards, and we must be careful with every new element added.

Some people asked us to add some “action” or “enemies”. Well, here it is. Sam is a bird that likes to eat numbers. When the player is behind a number, sometimes Sam can eat the number if the player does not wash Sam with water.

What do accomplish with this? We have an “enemy” but is completely harmless for children. There’s no violence at all, just the pressure to wash Sam. Of course Sam can be deactivated.

Sam will be available on July 6 with version 1.70 (version 1.60 with HTC Vive compatibility next June 30). Thank you for your interest!

Educational games have existed since the beginning of the computer age. Games whose main purpose is to teach, allowing students to acquire a series of knowledge and skills based on software that allows them to analyze their skills, improve them, and obtain a final result.

But, too often, educational games are too educational. What does this mean? They are very focused on the training component, leaving aside the recreational component. This characteristic of this type of game means that the use of these programs becomes, in many ways, an extension of a math or physics class. We have virtual blackboards, with virtual problems, that are solved as in class: with a virtual chalk, and with a result that is a score of the exercises solved.

This approach is not negative, but it is important to go beyond the idea of creating extensions of a math or physics class. And that’s where games appear that are very similar, if not equal, to any video game we can imagine, but that, inside, contain elements that allow the development of the player’s knowledge. This is called merging player and student, so that both the player and the learner are the same individual.

Many of us have learned through games that, in principle, do not have the official educational label, although we all know that they are. I will give three examples. The Civilization saga would be the first. How much history have we learned from this saga? The second would be the Sim City saga, or its current derivative, Cities: Skylines, where we learn all aspects of a city’s development. And the third one is one that particularly touches me: the flight simulators. How many people who started with the Flight Simulator and other simulators ended up being professional pilots? I know a few of them.

We must look for new sources of learning, based on traditional PC and console games, merged with educational elements. The virtual blackboard is very important, but why stay there? We can create fun, exciting games in three dimensions, with good graphics and sound, which also have an important educational and training component.

That is our mission. And in that task we are involved. Learning without knowing what you are learning. That’s our motto. And we want it to be so for thousands of young people around the world. Thank you very much.